Forests & REDD

August 2011: The UN General Assembly has circulated the Report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Organization. This year's report (A/66/1) points to significant changes in the world since 2007, including the impacts of food, fuel and economic shocks, democratic movements in North Africa and the Middle East, and the rising incidence of mega-disasters, and outlines the UN's responses to these and other developments.

Per A/RES/66/296 the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples 2014 will be held as a high-level plenary meeting of the 69th UN General Assembly, and supported by the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII). The aims of the Conference are to share perspectives and best practices on the realization of indigenous peoples' rights, including to pursue the objectives of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).

11 August 2011: The UN-REDD Programme has reported on the release of the first evaluation of deliverables of the Indonesia-Norway partnership on REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, as well as conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of carbon stock), which was established in May 2010.

10 August 2011: In preparation of the 66th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), the UN Secretary-General has circulated a background note on the implementation of UN environmental conventions, including the reports submitted by the Secretariats of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

8 August 2011: The Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) has named Rober Nasi as the Director of the CGIAR Research Program No. 6: Forests, Trees and Agroforestry: Livelihoods, Landscapes and Governance.

9 August 2011: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) released a report titled "Abiotic Disturbances and their Influence on Forest Health," which highlights the increasing threat posed to the world's forests by extreme weather events.

4 August 2011: The Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has published a note (FCCC/SBSTA/2011/INF.7) containing a synthesis of views from Parties and observer organizations on modalities and procedures for carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) in geological formations as Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) project activities.

1 August 2011: In preparation for the 17th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the African Union (AU) is launching a new policy journal, ECOLOGUE, with a focus on climate change issues.